Perceived mate fidelity and paternal resemblance predict men's investment in children

Here, we investigate whether variation in male parental investment can be explained in terms of (1) men's perception of the degree of resemblance between themselves and their offspring and (2) men's perception of their mates' fidelity. In a sample of men from London's Heathrow airport, both variables were found to predict reported investment. We also examined whether the predictors of investment varied. when men were no longer in a relationship with the mother of their children and are therefore no longer investing in mating effort with them. Among men no longer in a relationship with the mother of their children, resemblance became a stronger Predictor of investment, while fidelity was no longer a significant predictor. Overall, men provided less investment to their children if they were no longer in a relationship with the mother of their children. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.